Proverbs 6:24-29 24 to keep you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty,
and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
The second of three instructions on adultery (5:1–23; 6:20–35; and chap. 7). There is a play on three words of similar sound, ’îsh, “man,” ’ishshâ, “woman,” and ’ēsh, “fire, embers.”
In verse 24, "adulteress" is translated as a seductress - a promiscuous, immoral, loose and strange woman. Again, referring back to our previous study on Proverbs about the seductress, the word indicates a woman who is not your wife. She is a stranger to your household. All of these verses in Proverbs about the "strange woman" indicate that she deliberately tries to seduce you away from what is right. She is trying to seduce the single man into illicit relationships that can affect and damage his life. It will lead him to disobey God who set the parameters of sex. She is also trying to seduce the married man away from his wife. It will lead him to disobey God. Adultery is sex outside of a marriage (if one, or both, partners are married). Fornication is sex without the benefit of marriage, where neither partners are married. We have previously discussed why God gave us the parameter of sex only with your spouse. So we won't go over that again.
We have already discussed the deeper meaning of these passages too. Satan is the seductress, who tempts people to disobey God. When we choose to disobey God's commands, we are in essence making a god of ourselves. We push God aside in order to satisfy ourselves the way we want to. That is self-idolatry. Rather than wait on God, we take matters into our own hands and pursue whatever it is we want to pursue that God has forbidden. Whenever we do this we are settling for second best (or maybe I should say we are settling for the worst versus the best). God has the best in mind for us. God knows us intimately and knows what is perfect for us. It may be single-hood. It may be marriage. It may be a certain person that He has been grooming for us. But if we ignore His commands, we will certainly reap some consequences upon ourselves that we could have avoided if we had been obedient and waited on Him to provide. If I want the best for myself, then I should wait on God to provide it rather than go after what I want. I perceive my need and I look for something to satisfy my need and desire. I see something that, on the surface, seems to be just what I'm looking for. But it's based on my own perceptions and only what my eye can see. Only God knows the truth. He truly knows my heart and my deepest needs and He truly knows what is best for me. There is nothing hidden from Him. He cannot be fooled. On the other hand, I can easily be deceived. I can only see on the surface and I have no idea of what is behind the facade or below the surface. The question then becomes, do I wait on God and let Him lead me or do I push past God and go after what I think I want? Do I trust God or do I think I know better than God? If I think I know better than God, then we are putting ourselves in the place of God, self idolatry.
What are the consequences of disobedience and ignoring godly wisdom? They are listed in these verses and are called the "levy of the prostitute". They are poverty, getting burned, and punishment.
The word for poverty actually means a piece of bread. You will be brought to such low funds that buying the cheapest thing to eat will be all you can afford. This word is used in another place that indicates such poverty and begging:
1 Samuel 2:36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office, so that I may eat a piece of bread.”
Priests and the Levites were fed and maintained from donations given by the other tribes of Israel. This person is begging for a job where he will at least be fed a morsel of bread. When this woman, who has hunted you in order to take you down, gets through with you, you will be destitute, ruined, reduced to begging.
There are women who hunt for men that have something they want and they take everything they can get from them before dropping them to start the hunt again. There are men like that too (look up catfish schemes). But satan is also like that. He looks to destroy you and use you until you are no longer of any worth to him. Then he will leave you as a wreck of a man (or woman). Sometimes, it's sad to say, that is the only time a person will look to God. When they realize their utter ruin and their desperate need, they will finally reach out to God. It doesn't have to be that way, but for many, it is. Of course, we all have to realize our spiritual poverty. None of us have anything to give God that pays for our sins. We must have Jesus in order to be cleansed and saved. We all must come to the point of realizing our desperate need of a Savior because we cannot save ourselves. But it would be easier on us if we learned that sooner, rather than later.
Matthew 16:26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
We cannot pay the price that saves our soul as we are born in sin and we willfully sin. But, praise God, He sent His only Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish! Jesus paid the price for our soul. It cost Him dearly! Our soul (or spirit) is so precious to God that He gave His only Son to attain it! But we have to repent and accept Jesus in order to be saved. Jesus was sinless. He was fully human but fully God. He was able to sacrifice Himself to pay for us so that we could be saved! What a precious price! There is no earthly silver or gold that can match that precious price. The life of a God/man is priceless. Why would we accept anything less? Why would we push God aside and go after our own lusts and disobey Him in order to indulge in pig food when He has a grand table set and food of the best waiting for us?
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Which do you choose?
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Proverbs 6:27-28 27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
A rhetorical question is a powerful tool in persuasive reasoning. Marriage makes sexual pleasure honorable. But without the sanctity of marriage, sex is like a fire that burns. There is no avoiding the fact that fire burns and illicit sex will cause consequences you won't like. Contact with the immoral woman will spark a destructive fire. First your clothes are burned which symbolizes your public image. Clothes cover the man and is what people see. Your reputation, your image, your position, your perceived character will be damaged by the fire of adultery and fornication. But it doesn't stop there. The burning of the feet, indicate you personally get burned. Not just your reputation but you experience the burn. There will be scarring for life. If you step on hot coals, your feet will burn and there will be scarring. It's inevitable. And scarred feet are nothing compared to a scarred spirit! Do you really think you can do it and not get burned? Are you that arrogant? Despite God's warning and all of human history, you think you are the one person who won't get burned by disobedience? Are you that foolish? What pride!
Back to the analogy of fire. How does someone guarantee they aren't caught on fire and burned? By avoiding the fire, even the sparks! Lust is a spark. Anything that brings that lust up in your mind is something to avoid. You don't want something to spark and start a fire. Be careful what you subject yourself to so as to avoid lustful thoughts. Watch what you read, watch on TV, what movies you go to or places where immodesty might spark a lustful thought. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. A Christian woman shouldn't go to a strip bar for women and a Christian man shouldn't go to a strip bar for men. A "Girl's Night Out" shouldn't include male strippers, alcohol or strip bars. A "Guy's Night Out" or "Bachelor Party" shouldn't include female strippers, pornography, strip bars, alcohol. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and removes your Christian defenses. Pornography should be forbidden in your life as it sparks lust. It's so easy on the Internet but it's a fire starter and the fire doesn't go out without hurting you.
I'm going to be very upfront here. First, let me preface it with this: No matter what someone else is wearing or doing, that does not excuse an individual from using his/her own good judgment, godly wisdom and self control. I don't care if a gorgeous teenage girl is crawling all over you, that does not give you a pass to have sex with her. Same for women. Even if a gorgeous young man is all over you, that does not give you a pass to have sex with him. If you have control over your own body and mind, then you don't have an excuse or any justification for giving into sexual lust and having sex outside your marriage, with anyone other than your spouse. God does not give us any extenuating circumstances. Don't tempt yourself to try and see how far you can go. You will get burned.
Now, it seems today that people have grown up without the benefit of commonsense and good judgment. I don't know why, but it seems girls just can't understand that their behavior and choices will get them in trouble. They wear super tight clothes or revealing clothes. They place themselves in situations where things can get out of control such as drinking alcohol, going to wild parties, going to secluded areas to make out, etc. It's like they are trying to see how far they can go. And then they start kissing guys, rubbing against them, dancing seductively or just plain vulgarly. They think it's fun to tease by flashing men and showing off. To be quite honest, it seems they might as well wear a sign saying, "I will have sex with anyone, anywhere, in any way! Just come get me." Please, mothers, try to teach your daughters. Please fathers, try to teach your daughters. Please girls open your eyes and realize what danger you are putting yourselves in! I'm not saying you have to wear long skirts and long sleeves. I'm saying, use commonsense and dress modestly and behave modestly. You don't have to have sex with every guy you date. If they expect it, that's their problem. You don't have to give in to it. And if they don't want to take you to dinner without getting sex as payment, then don't go. That guy is not worth your time. Always be ready to pay in case you find out the guy is dishonorable and expecting payment with sex. Throw the money in his face and get out of his presence as soon as you can. He may say things or make fun of you but it's better to retain your virginity and your reputation than to give in to a pig of a boy who would do that to a girl. If a guy is truly interested in you as the love of his life, then he will want to spend time with you even if you don't have sex with him. He would pay for your dinner and movie ticket just to spend time with you and he wouldn't expect to be paid back. If he does, then ditch him. Leave him in the dust and wait for the one who does love you. If he's not willing to treat you like a queen, he's not worth your time. You see, a wise man will see that if he treats you like a queen, you will treat him like a king in response. He really wants a woman who will be faithful to him, who is his soul mate, a woman who has integrity and one he can trust. When you find one who recognizes that you are that kind of woman, and sees you for the treasure you are, he will treat you with kid gloves.
Now for the boys and men. Again, no matter what a girl is doing, you don't have an excuse to give in to it. But use some commonsense and good judgment yourselves. Don't put yourselves in situations where you can be pushed beyond your self control! Don't drink or take drugs because it lowers your inhibitions and defenses. Don't let girls think you tolerate their seductions. Set boundaries and say "No!" It's going to cost you, but not nearly as much as being scarred for life by the fire of illicit sex!!! If they try to sext you, block them. If they begin trash talking on the Internet or Facebook, block them. If they call you and start trying something, hang up the phone. If they come and rub up against you, push them away. Run if you have to! Remember how Joseph had to slip out of his coat and run from Potiphar's wife. Don't go to a secluded area for some making out. You know what will happen so don't go to start with. Be upfront with a girl and tell her that you don't mind a date but you aren't expecting sex because you don't do that. You may be a laughingstock for a time, but let me tell you, you will be highly respected in the end and you will have retained your reputation, your character and you will have escaped the fire and scarring that they have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Your future wife and children will be the blessing you obtain by obeying God! If you want a woman who is faithful, full of integrity and one you can trust, then be the man such a woman would want! Treat women with respect and honor. And don't settle for less!
To those of us who are married, be very careful that you don't go outside of your marriage for sex. Let's say that you've married someone who has been damaged and is not sexually responsive or, for some reason, cannot have physical sex. Does that give you an excuse to have sex with others outside your marriage? No. God doesn't give you an out. You have to figure out how to make it work within your marriage and trust God. With your continued fidelity and kindness, your spouse may eventually be able to open up and become a willing partner. But even if they don't, you will have a deep and intimate relationship with someone who trusts you. That can be better than sex, despite what the world says. We must be obedient and trust God to give us what He knows we need. We must love and honor out spouse and remain faithful to them. Then trust God to take care of problems that come up.
What if our spouse has an affair or affairs? I can't advise you here. This is for God to lead you in each of your circumstances. Just remember to be obedient to God, despite what anyone else is doing. Revenge is out of the question. But as long as you are obedient to God and you strive to be forgiving, God will lead you where you are to go with the situation. Sometimes it is to forgive and stay married and rebuild. Sometimes it is to separate but remain unavailable to others as though still married. Sometimes it is more drastic but God knows your situation and you can trust Him to direct you. Be careful not to let your own will and pride get in the way, but truly submit to God and wait for Him to lead you.
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty,
and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
The second of three instructions on adultery (5:1–23; 6:20–35; and chap. 7). There is a play on three words of similar sound, ’îsh, “man,” ’ishshâ, “woman,” and ’ēsh, “fire, embers.”
In verse 24, "adulteress" is translated as a seductress - a promiscuous, immoral, loose and strange woman. Again, referring back to our previous study on Proverbs about the seductress, the word indicates a woman who is not your wife. She is a stranger to your household. All of these verses in Proverbs about the "strange woman" indicate that she deliberately tries to seduce you away from what is right. She is trying to seduce the single man into illicit relationships that can affect and damage his life. It will lead him to disobey God who set the parameters of sex. She is also trying to seduce the married man away from his wife. It will lead him to disobey God. Adultery is sex outside of a marriage (if one, or both, partners are married). Fornication is sex without the benefit of marriage, where neither partners are married. We have previously discussed why God gave us the parameter of sex only with your spouse. So we won't go over that again.
We have already discussed the deeper meaning of these passages too. Satan is the seductress, who tempts people to disobey God. When we choose to disobey God's commands, we are in essence making a god of ourselves. We push God aside in order to satisfy ourselves the way we want to. That is self-idolatry. Rather than wait on God, we take matters into our own hands and pursue whatever it is we want to pursue that God has forbidden. Whenever we do this we are settling for second best (or maybe I should say we are settling for the worst versus the best). God has the best in mind for us. God knows us intimately and knows what is perfect for us. It may be single-hood. It may be marriage. It may be a certain person that He has been grooming for us. But if we ignore His commands, we will certainly reap some consequences upon ourselves that we could have avoided if we had been obedient and waited on Him to provide. If I want the best for myself, then I should wait on God to provide it rather than go after what I want. I perceive my need and I look for something to satisfy my need and desire. I see something that, on the surface, seems to be just what I'm looking for. But it's based on my own perceptions and only what my eye can see. Only God knows the truth. He truly knows my heart and my deepest needs and He truly knows what is best for me. There is nothing hidden from Him. He cannot be fooled. On the other hand, I can easily be deceived. I can only see on the surface and I have no idea of what is behind the facade or below the surface. The question then becomes, do I wait on God and let Him lead me or do I push past God and go after what I think I want? Do I trust God or do I think I know better than God? If I think I know better than God, then we are putting ourselves in the place of God, self idolatry.
What are the consequences of disobedience and ignoring godly wisdom? They are listed in these verses and are called the "levy of the prostitute". They are poverty, getting burned, and punishment.
The word for poverty actually means a piece of bread. You will be brought to such low funds that buying the cheapest thing to eat will be all you can afford. This word is used in another place that indicates such poverty and begging:
1 Samuel 2:36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office, so that I may eat a piece of bread.”
Priests and the Levites were fed and maintained from donations given by the other tribes of Israel. This person is begging for a job where he will at least be fed a morsel of bread. When this woman, who has hunted you in order to take you down, gets through with you, you will be destitute, ruined, reduced to begging.
There are women who hunt for men that have something they want and they take everything they can get from them before dropping them to start the hunt again. There are men like that too (look up catfish schemes). But satan is also like that. He looks to destroy you and use you until you are no longer of any worth to him. Then he will leave you as a wreck of a man (or woman). Sometimes, it's sad to say, that is the only time a person will look to God. When they realize their utter ruin and their desperate need, they will finally reach out to God. It doesn't have to be that way, but for many, it is. Of course, we all have to realize our spiritual poverty. None of us have anything to give God that pays for our sins. We must have Jesus in order to be cleansed and saved. We all must come to the point of realizing our desperate need of a Savior because we cannot save ourselves. But it would be easier on us if we learned that sooner, rather than later.
Matthew 16:26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
We cannot pay the price that saves our soul as we are born in sin and we willfully sin. But, praise God, He sent His only Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish! Jesus paid the price for our soul. It cost Him dearly! Our soul (or spirit) is so precious to God that He gave His only Son to attain it! But we have to repent and accept Jesus in order to be saved. Jesus was sinless. He was fully human but fully God. He was able to sacrifice Himself to pay for us so that we could be saved! What a precious price! There is no earthly silver or gold that can match that precious price. The life of a God/man is priceless. Why would we accept anything less? Why would we push God aside and go after our own lusts and disobey Him in order to indulge in pig food when He has a grand table set and food of the best waiting for us?
Which do you choose?
Proverbs 6:27-28 27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
A rhetorical question is a powerful tool in persuasive reasoning. Marriage makes sexual pleasure honorable. But without the sanctity of marriage, sex is like a fire that burns. There is no avoiding the fact that fire burns and illicit sex will cause consequences you won't like. Contact with the immoral woman will spark a destructive fire. First your clothes are burned which symbolizes your public image. Clothes cover the man and is what people see. Your reputation, your image, your position, your perceived character will be damaged by the fire of adultery and fornication. But it doesn't stop there. The burning of the feet, indicate you personally get burned. Not just your reputation but you experience the burn. There will be scarring for life. If you step on hot coals, your feet will burn and there will be scarring. It's inevitable. And scarred feet are nothing compared to a scarred spirit! Do you really think you can do it and not get burned? Are you that arrogant? Despite God's warning and all of human history, you think you are the one person who won't get burned by disobedience? Are you that foolish? What pride!
Back to the analogy of fire. How does someone guarantee they aren't caught on fire and burned? By avoiding the fire, even the sparks! Lust is a spark. Anything that brings that lust up in your mind is something to avoid. You don't want something to spark and start a fire. Be careful what you subject yourself to so as to avoid lustful thoughts. Watch what you read, watch on TV, what movies you go to or places where immodesty might spark a lustful thought. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. A Christian woman shouldn't go to a strip bar for women and a Christian man shouldn't go to a strip bar for men. A "Girl's Night Out" shouldn't include male strippers, alcohol or strip bars. A "Guy's Night Out" or "Bachelor Party" shouldn't include female strippers, pornography, strip bars, alcohol. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and removes your Christian defenses. Pornography should be forbidden in your life as it sparks lust. It's so easy on the Internet but it's a fire starter and the fire doesn't go out without hurting you.
I'm going to be very upfront here. First, let me preface it with this: No matter what someone else is wearing or doing, that does not excuse an individual from using his/her own good judgment, godly wisdom and self control. I don't care if a gorgeous teenage girl is crawling all over you, that does not give you a pass to have sex with her. Same for women. Even if a gorgeous young man is all over you, that does not give you a pass to have sex with him. If you have control over your own body and mind, then you don't have an excuse or any justification for giving into sexual lust and having sex outside your marriage, with anyone other than your spouse. God does not give us any extenuating circumstances. Don't tempt yourself to try and see how far you can go. You will get burned.
Now, it seems today that people have grown up without the benefit of commonsense and good judgment. I don't know why, but it seems girls just can't understand that their behavior and choices will get them in trouble. They wear super tight clothes or revealing clothes. They place themselves in situations where things can get out of control such as drinking alcohol, going to wild parties, going to secluded areas to make out, etc. It's like they are trying to see how far they can go. And then they start kissing guys, rubbing against them, dancing seductively or just plain vulgarly. They think it's fun to tease by flashing men and showing off. To be quite honest, it seems they might as well wear a sign saying, "I will have sex with anyone, anywhere, in any way! Just come get me." Please, mothers, try to teach your daughters. Please fathers, try to teach your daughters. Please girls open your eyes and realize what danger you are putting yourselves in! I'm not saying you have to wear long skirts and long sleeves. I'm saying, use commonsense and dress modestly and behave modestly. You don't have to have sex with every guy you date. If they expect it, that's their problem. You don't have to give in to it. And if they don't want to take you to dinner without getting sex as payment, then don't go. That guy is not worth your time. Always be ready to pay in case you find out the guy is dishonorable and expecting payment with sex. Throw the money in his face and get out of his presence as soon as you can. He may say things or make fun of you but it's better to retain your virginity and your reputation than to give in to a pig of a boy who would do that to a girl. If a guy is truly interested in you as the love of his life, then he will want to spend time with you even if you don't have sex with him. He would pay for your dinner and movie ticket just to spend time with you and he wouldn't expect to be paid back. If he does, then ditch him. Leave him in the dust and wait for the one who does love you. If he's not willing to treat you like a queen, he's not worth your time. You see, a wise man will see that if he treats you like a queen, you will treat him like a king in response. He really wants a woman who will be faithful to him, who is his soul mate, a woman who has integrity and one he can trust. When you find one who recognizes that you are that kind of woman, and sees you for the treasure you are, he will treat you with kid gloves.
Now for the boys and men. Again, no matter what a girl is doing, you don't have an excuse to give in to it. But use some commonsense and good judgment yourselves. Don't put yourselves in situations where you can be pushed beyond your self control! Don't drink or take drugs because it lowers your inhibitions and defenses. Don't let girls think you tolerate their seductions. Set boundaries and say "No!" It's going to cost you, but not nearly as much as being scarred for life by the fire of illicit sex!!! If they try to sext you, block them. If they begin trash talking on the Internet or Facebook, block them. If they call you and start trying something, hang up the phone. If they come and rub up against you, push them away. Run if you have to! Remember how Joseph had to slip out of his coat and run from Potiphar's wife. Don't go to a secluded area for some making out. You know what will happen so don't go to start with. Be upfront with a girl and tell her that you don't mind a date but you aren't expecting sex because you don't do that. You may be a laughingstock for a time, but let me tell you, you will be highly respected in the end and you will have retained your reputation, your character and you will have escaped the fire and scarring that they have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Your future wife and children will be the blessing you obtain by obeying God! If you want a woman who is faithful, full of integrity and one you can trust, then be the man such a woman would want! Treat women with respect and honor. And don't settle for less!
To those of us who are married, be very careful that you don't go outside of your marriage for sex. Let's say that you've married someone who has been damaged and is not sexually responsive or, for some reason, cannot have physical sex. Does that give you an excuse to have sex with others outside your marriage? No. God doesn't give you an out. You have to figure out how to make it work within your marriage and trust God. With your continued fidelity and kindness, your spouse may eventually be able to open up and become a willing partner. But even if they don't, you will have a deep and intimate relationship with someone who trusts you. That can be better than sex, despite what the world says. We must be obedient and trust God to give us what He knows we need. We must love and honor out spouse and remain faithful to them. Then trust God to take care of problems that come up.
What if our spouse has an affair or affairs? I can't advise you here. This is for God to lead you in each of your circumstances. Just remember to be obedient to God, despite what anyone else is doing. Revenge is out of the question. But as long as you are obedient to God and you strive to be forgiving, God will lead you where you are to go with the situation. Sometimes it is to forgive and stay married and rebuild. Sometimes it is to separate but remain unavailable to others as though still married. Sometimes it is more drastic but God knows your situation and you can trust Him to direct you. Be careful not to let your own will and pride get in the way, but truly submit to God and wait for Him to lead you.
- Have you ever seen users? Can you identify them? They are basically leeches, hunting you down and going for your blood. Once they've gotten what they want from you they crawl off for the next sucker. I'm going to ask you to do something unusual. Not only avoid those people but PRAY for them. There are reasons they are like they are. Maybe they have no self esteem. Maybe they've been told they are trash. Maybe they have been abused and molested. Maybe they were taken advantage of and have decided to hurt others the same way they were hurt. Maybe satan has such a hold on them that they can't see truth any more. Anyway you look at it, these are human beings who are in desperate need of Jesus Christ. So, yes, avoid them to save yourself. But then pray for them because you may be the only one who does.
- Do you have scars from the fires of illicit sex? Have you been burned? Journal it out in a prayer to God. Ask Him for forgiveness and pray that He would redeem the situation and help you overcome. You can start again and walk in obedience from now on. He will help you to fulfill His commands.
- Have you been hurt by others who have done, or said, things because you've stuck to your Christian values and obeyed God? Have you been mocked, bullied, ridiculed, lies told about you? You can pour those feelings out to God and let Him heal you. He knows what it's like to be mocked and scourged for doing the right thing and obeying God. He can help you now. He can heal your heart and give you His perspective so you can see how obedience will bless you.
- Are you in a marriage with problems? Maybe your spouse has committed adultery and betrayed you in the worst way possible. Go to God. Lay it all out before Him. Tell Him all your hurt, pain, anger, devastation. He can take it. Then, lay it down and let Him begin the healing process in you. Ask Him for wisdom and direction and then walk in obedience to what He leads you to do. Pray for the ability to forgive. Not forget, but to forgive. We know His Word directs us to forgive. We can't without His help but He is willing to supernaturally enable us if we are willing to submit and allow Him to do it in us.
For all my studies on Proverbs click HERE.